http://www.newsmax.com/us/us_medical_marijuana/2009/10/19/273730.html?s=al&promo_code=8D61-1
Federal drug agents won't pursue pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers in states that allow medical marijuana, under new legal guidelines to be issued Monday by the Obama administration.
Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law.
The guidelines to be issued by the department do, however, make it clear that agents will go after people whose marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law or use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes, the officials said.
This is a good decision. The so-called "war on drugs" has been a failure for years, and it's about time that our government stepped back from a "zero-tolerance" policy on drug usage. This is a good first step, but needs to be followed up by changes to the law... so WAKE UP, Congress!
I have said numerous times in the past that I will oppose PresBo when I think he's wrong, and I have done so on numerous ocasions. I have also said I will support him when he's right... and this is one instance where I have done that, as well.
Good call, PresBo... you finally got one right.
I have reason to believe the Representative Patricia Todd will introduce a medical marijuana bill in the 2010 regular session of the Alabama Legislature. If it's a well-crafted bill, would you be in favor of it?
ReplyDeleteI support the concept of allowing the use of medical marijuana. As always, my support or opposition would depend on how the bill is written.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, I think the decision of whether to prescribe marijuana to a patient should be up to the doctor... not a federal or state government blinded by a poorly rationalized war on drugs.
It'd be curious if we'd tax it at the same rate as tobacco...if it were to be legal.
ReplyDeletePresBo didn't make medical marijuana legal, he just said Federal prosecutors wouldn't prosecute those who use medical marijuana in compliance with state laws.
ReplyDelete